Cinders and Ashes
by Silverhare
Summary: A retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, with elements of the ballet woven in and Rue cast as the title character.


Once upon a time there lived a kind and generous lady of noble birth who was widowed by her first husband. She had one daughter with him, a young girl named Rue, who was as loving and kind in nature as her mother, and possessed her likeness as well, making it certain that she would grow up to be a great beauty. The girl wanted for nothing, and the two were very happy, yet the lady felt that her daughter should have a father as well as a mother, and, if possible, siblings with whom she could play. She sought then to remarry, and in time took for a second husband a man with a cruel and foul nature, who hid from her his true self that he might wed her and enjoy her tremendous wealth. He too had been married before, and had two daughters by his deceased first wife.

The elder daughter was named Lilie, and she had a heart as cold as the northern winds that arrived to chill the kingdom each winter, caring little for the feelings of others if they did not satisfy her desire for entertainment. She had great difficulty differentiating the many novels she read from reality, and thus tried to shape the world around her to be as tragic and dramatic as the stories that captivated her imagination, at the expense of all others. When she arrived in her new home she had much to say about how gloomy and depressing a place it was, and expressed false sympathy in honeyed tones for Rue, whom she felt was a "put-upon and tragic heroine" now doomed to be neglected in the face of her mother's new marriage and how _sad_ that was.

The younger daughter, on the other hand, was named Ahiru, and she was so different from her sister that many were amazed to learn of their relation when they did not know beforehand. She was as sweet and gentle-natured as any girl could be, with a kind and accepting heart. When she arrived she seemed in awe of her new home and had many compliments for it, and embraced Rue without hesitation. "You and I," she declared warmly, "shall not only be great friends, but true sisters as well." And from that day forward she held to her word - the two became very close indeed, and Ahiru, though often intimidated by her father and sister and disinclined to stand up for herself, nevertheless did what she could to protect Rue from the cruelty they showed her, particularly when Rue's mother was not present to see it.

There was only so much she could do, however, and it became even less when the noble lady became struck with a terrible illness. There were many things tried, and doctors called from all corners of the country, but in the end all were fruitless and the lady perished. Rue wept many a bitter tear at her mother's bedside and offered up prayer after prayer to the heavens, begging for her mother's return to life to no avail. Both her parents were now gone, leaving her alone in the world and at the mercy of a stepparent that despised her.

And indeed, no sooner had the noble lady been laid in the ground did the stepfather swoop down upon his late wife's daughter with the full force of his hatred and cruelty. He declared her an ugly, lazy wretch unfit to inherit the household, and as payment for being such a burden Rue would work in her own home as a servant. Her fine bedroom she was turned out of, her things divided amongst Lilie and Ahiru, and to Rue only a small closet just off the kitchen was allotted for sleeping in at night. Ahiru wished to give what few of Rue's things she had managed to obtain back to her, but Rue told her to keep them, as she no longer had the space to store them anyway. Her heart ached greatly at her losses, of mother and comfort and treasured possessions and mementoes, but she hid it as bravely as she could and did her best to act proud and uncaring on the outside, that no one might guess at her true pain.

As the years went by this became more and more difficult: the stepfather was a harsh taskmaster, expecting more from her than from any of the other servants. He declared that if only she weren't so burdensome and wretched he would be able to love her as a real daughter, and that she should at all times try harder to improve herself, that that day might yet come after all when she was truly accepted and could win a place of honor in the household. Ahiru tried to say that she deserved it already, but her father ignored her; as for Lilie, she seemed to realize the falsehood of these promises and would declare it openly to Rue, cherishing the pain and doubt it sowed in her stepsister's heart. "Oh, poor, dear, Rue, how cruelly you are deceived!" she would sigh, cold glee gleaming in her eyes as she clasped her hands together. "Robbed of your position, you now toil without hope of truly regaining it, turning yourself from a beautiful young lady to a little urchin draped in ash and soot and dust… oh, what a beautiful _tragedy!_"

Yet despite Lilie's discomfiting words, Rue continued to work hard, hoping that the stepfather spoke true and that she would one day be able to take her place once again as a rightful heir to the household. She gazed with envy upon the gowns and expensive objects given to her sisters, remembering the days when she too had been garbed in such finery and had had the freedom to pursue those occupations that gave them so much pleasure, be it dancing or reading or music lessons. Her life now was a far cry from that, every hour filled to the brim with drudgery and despair, and no matter what she did she never seemed to please her stepfather. She lived in fear of him, and worked herself ever harder, with the result being that her true beauty became nigh unrecognizable beneath the thick layer of soot and dirt that perpetually covered her clothes and face.

One day, it came to be that an invitation arrived at the house from the palace, announcing that the prince was to have three balls on consecutive nights, that he might choose a bride from amongst those eligible young ladies he met upon those evenings. The invitation declared that all the ladies of the household were invited to present themselves at the balls, and at this wording a spark of hope arose in Rue's heart. "Oh! dear stepfather!" she exclaimed. "Please, might I go to the balls? I am a lady of the household, after all, which the prince says may attend, and I would so love to go. Please, will you allow me?"

"What is this?" the stepfather rumbled. "What audacity! Do you seek, then, to supplant and humiliate my daughters? Have you acquired such loftiness that you now feel that the pursuit of my fatherly love is beneath you, and only marriage to a prince will do? What airs you have gained! And from what, I ask?"

Rue nearly faltered at this, but an encouraging look from Ahiru helped her to maintain her composure and go on. "Oh! dear stepfather! Heavens no! I aspire to none such heights, I assure you! It is only that I wish to enjoy the festivities and meet many people, to partake in dancing and celebrating. I know full well that the heart of a prince is a thing not meant for me, and I would never dream of seeking it. I ask only that I be allowed to enjoy this one thing."

This wording the stepfather seized upon, and declared that yes, she would be allowed to attend, but only on the first night, and she must remain at home the other nights. Hope and gratitude had scarcely begun to take hold in Rue's heart when the stepfather went on to set further conditions on her attendance: she must act as a true and loving daughter until that day, must complete all her chores on time, and as a last requirement would need to construct her own gown, for he would not spend money to clothe a servant in the same expensive garments that his own daughters would wear. This dampened Rue's spirits, but she nevertheless smiled bravely and thanked him, and promised that she would meet every one of these conditions and would make him proud.

Despair, however, began to sink in almost immediately after she left the room, and she held fear in her heart that she would not be able to fulfill the requirements laid upon her for having one night of joy. Hope soon came anew, though, in the form of Ahiru, who hurried after her and caught her up at the kitchen door. "Be not afraid, my sister" she said in low, conspiratorial tones. "I will do what I can to help you satisfy our father's wishes, that you might attend the ball at my side. For your happiness means much to me, and I would hate to see you miss out on this chance."

"That is not necessary, but I thank you nonetheless," Rue told her, trying without success to hide the tears that had come into her eyes at this kind gesture. It mattered not that they were related only by marriage and not by blood, the two regarded each other as true sisters and deeply cared for one another. "I am moved by your kindness, truly."

Ahiru insisted, however, and so it came to be that she helped her in secret as much as she could, providing her with materials and assistance in the construction of a gown while Rue toiled and took care over her many chores in order to please the stepfather's exacting demands. She grew ever more tired and ever more clothed in filth and disarray, but she nurtured a hope in her heart that soon she would be able to shed her rags and cinders and put on a beautiful gown again, even if only for one night. It kept her heart strong through even the worst and most taxing of days. When the stepfather's anger boiled over at the slightest mistakes, seeming to shatter her fragile dreams, she nevertheless held herself together and showed him all the more devotion in efforts to placate him, hoping both for this night at the ball and to finally, finally win the love and care and honor he had been promising her all these years. It seemed to her that both her hopes might be fulfilled at once, and it spurred her on to work even harder, that the stepfather might declare true fatherly affection for her on the night of the ball, and allow her to attend the other two nights as a reward, and then to remain an honored and cherished daughter ever afterwards.

When the day of the first ball arrived, there seemed little indication to her that anything should be or go amiss. As the hour drew closer to when she should begin her preparations for attending Rue was in the kitchen, sweeping the floor; it was one of the last tasks she had to perform, and her heart was filled with excitement that she might soon have a night free of labor, a night full of dancing and talking and gaiety. Upstairs, her stepfather and sisters were already preparing themselves for the festivities, and so she had the whole of the kitchen to herself in peace and quiet.

Not for long was this so, however. In the midst of her sweeping, Rue heard upon the servant's entrance a knock, and put down her broom that she might rush over and answer it. Opening the door revealed a woman in shabby clothes, who smiled kindly at her and asked "Oh, my dear girl, I beg you: is this a household where I might rest my weary body for a small space of time? I have been on my feet all day and feel I shall collapse soon if I do not stop and recuperate some before resuming my travels."

"Oh! Of course! Please, do come in, you are most welcome here!" Rue ushered the woman in and showed her to a chair beside the hearth, which she sank gratefully into. She then began to prepare for her a tea that would soothe her aches and pains, as well as a small and simple meal, and all the while she did this they talked. In this way did Rue learn that the woman was an itinerant merchant, a seller of fine jewelry, and it was with no small amount of regret and longing in her voice that she had to decline when asked if she would like to peruse her wares, for she had no money with which to purchase such treasures. To her puzzlement the merchant woman seemed unsurprised by this, in a manner that seemed to go deeper than a mere assessment of Rue's clothing and appearance, but she did not question it and left her to enjoy the prepared food and drink in peace. When she had finished, the woman thanked her again, and left that she might continue her travels and sell more gems.

No sooner had she departed the house and Rue's sweeping hastily finished than the stepfather appeared in the kitchen, his manner one of fury and rage. To Rue's horror, she soon found that all her hard work that day had been undone in some way after she had completed it, and her protests went unheard by the stepfather, as though she spoke to the very walls of the house rather than addressed a live person. Even worse, the hard work she and Ahiru had done on her gown had been ruined as well, her dress torn to tatters and destroyed. It seemed obvious who was responsible for this, but Lilie feigned innocence and rambled at length about the horrible _tragedy_ that all this was, how sad for Rue! but Rue did not believe her, and in a moment of desperation openly accused her of the sabotage she knew in her heart had been committed against her. Alas, this served only to further enrage the stepfather, and he hurled even worse insults and condemnations against her than ever before, incensed that she should dare to slander his innocent daughter so. Ahiru tried her best to defend Rue and get her father to change his mind, but it was too late, and Rue was forbidden from attending the ball and threatened with worse punishments if she did not complete all her chores before they returned.

How she maintained her composure as well as she did in the face of such cruelty Rue later could not imagine; but when the stepfather had departed for the ball with Lilie and Ahiru in tow she collapsed upon the kitchen floor and wept bitter tears the likes of which she had not shed since her mother's death. It seemed plain to her now that she would never be able to win her stepfather's love, that Lilie's taunts had been truthful all along, and now on top of that here she was, faced with receiving worse treatment if she did not complete all of a single day's chores before the night's end, and unable to attend the ball she had pinned so many hopes upon. No enjoyment was to be hers after all, regardless of the hard work she had toiled at in order to achieve this dream of having one night of finery and leisure, and it cast her into the deepest despair she had felt in years.

Yet, all hope was not yet lost. As she wept she was quite unaware of the servant's door opening again, and insensible also to the sound of footsteps across the kitchen floor, until the unknown visitor knelt at her side and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. Still in the midst of sobbing over her misfortune, Rue looked up with wonder and confusion to see the merchant woman from earlier, clad now in bright, shimmering clothes, with all weariness removed from her face, and a kind smile directed at her. "My child, dry your tears and do not weep any longer; for your wishes shall still come true, and happiness awaits you."

"Who are you?" Rue asked as she stared at her. "You are not a merchant, are you?"

"I am not." She shook her head. "You will not remember me, child, but I stood at your christening and gave you my blessing, that if ever you truly needed me I would come to your aid. And come I have. I am Edel, your fairy godmother, and to you I shall this night give a way to attend the ball you so long to be at."

"Oh! Oh, but! how can I ask such a thing of you? As grateful as I am, I cannot accept this offer, for I still have too many chores to do before my family arrives at home." Rue hung her head and tried not to begin weeping again.

"Nonsense." Edel lifted Rue's chin and shook her head again. "I will see to it that your chores are completed before you come home, and you shall have no cause to worry. All you need do is enjoy yourself, and to remember my words lest things go awry at the end of the evening."

She then set about preparing all that was needed for Rue's attendance of the ball. She first transformed Rue's rags into a beautiful gown of shimmering silver, and a simple wave of her wand cleaned the dirt and soot from her and arranged her hair beautifully, that she was now nearly unrecognizable to those who saw her every day. A gem of deep red was laid around her neck, and then transportation was seen to as well. A pumpkin and some mice were transformed into a carriage and horses, and dragonflies into footmen. All this she freely gave to Rue, but warned her that she must depart the ball and return home by midnight, at which time all her finery would return to what it had been. Rue promised that she would heed this warning and then departed for the ball, her heart light with joy and excitement.

As her arrival at the palace came so much later than that of every other young lady in attendance, Rue did not have herself formally introduced to the prince and instead wandered amongst the assembled guests like a phantom, unaware that her striking beauty was drawing many stares and whispers. At one point she heard a familiar giggle, and turned to see Ahiru engaged in conversation with a handsome knight who seemed quite as smitten with her as she clearly was with him. Rue could not help but smile at this, and her heart rejoiced in Ahiru's happiness, but she continued on her way past them in a hurry. It was not that she feared her sister would give her away if she saw her, so much as a lack of desire to intrude upon the two.

She had not long to reflect upon Ahiru's situation, however, before her own received a surprising twist. The prince himself had spied her amongst the crowd and recognized her as someone he had not been introduced to; taken by her beauty and intrigued by the mystery of her identity he had sought her out, and now wished to dance with her and learn more about her. He held out his hand, and asked if she would be willing to dance with him.

"Oh Prince, it would be my honor, though I scarcely feel deserving of it," Rue said, curtseying deep even as her face burned bright red with a blush that reached the roots of her dark hair. It was a sad truth that the cruelty heaped upon her by her stepfather and stepsister over the years indeed made her feel unworthy of him, but she nevertheless accepted, and they began to whirl around the floor together, hand in hand. She nimbly dodged many of his more probing questions as to her identity, but answered others that gave him information about her interests and feelings, and soon became, to her slight alarm, every bit as taken with him as he was with her, and began asking questions of her own which he gladly answered. One dance turned into another, and another; and many other ladies sought to cut in, but the prince declined, saying he would prefer to dance with this one as long as she would have him for a partner. Rue blushed again at this, and every time said shyly that she would dance with him as long as he desired to dance with her.

So passed a delightful evening, and before Rue knew it the clock's chimes were marking the quarter hour before midnight. Loathe though she was to leave the prince's side Rue knew that her godmother's warnings must not go unheeded and so she departed the ball in haste, ignoring his pleas to remain. And lo! she had left none too soon, for the very moment she walked through the door to her own house her finery returned to being tattered rags, and outside her coach and footmen and horses had resumed their natural shapes once more as well. She went straight away to check that her chores truly had been done in her absence and, when satisfied, curled up beside the hearth and went to sleep as a way of feigning so much exhaustion from hard work that she had not had the energy to even make it to her tiny closet and the cot within.

At breakfast the following morning, Lilie complained that she had gone quite unnoticed by the prince past her introduction to him, and spoke of the rumors she'd heard of a mysterious beauty with whom he was occupied nearly till midnight. Ahiru said little, but spoke of having had a wonderful time, and Rue knew by the glow in her cheeks just what had provided such enjoyment, and hid a knowing smile. The stepfather seemed displeased by his daughters' inability to get close to the prince, and Rue feared his wrath turning upon her, but he did little more than speak curtly to her a handful of times, his attention almost wholly on his desire to make one of his daughters a princess. He seemed now to be largely ignoring her, which was a relief.

When evening drew around, the three again departed for the second night of the balls. Rue had only to patiently wait a short while before her fairy godmother reappeared. As she had the previous night, Edel transformed her rags into a beautiful gown, this time of rich gold, and laid a violet gem around her neck. Her transportation was arranged in the same manner as before, and Rue was sent off once again, with the same warning to return before midnight.

The second ball went much the same as the first one; though she did not see Lilie amongst the revelers, she once again spied Ahiru enjoying the company of the knight she had met at the first one, and she herself was once again the one upon whom the prince fixed all his attention. They danced and talked until the hour once more drew near to midnight, at which point she fled as she had previously. Her gown turned to rags the very moment she walked through the door, and she arranged herself again at the hearth to await her family's return.

In the morning Lilie again complained fiercely about the prince's preoccupation with the mystery woman, and she and her father voiced a strong desire to learn her identity and find some way to tear her from the prince's side. Ahiru again spoke little, but Rue could tell that it had once more been a lovely evening for her, and was happy for her sister even in the face of her fear of being unmasked at the third ball.

As with the previous nights, her fairy godmother arrived after the others had already left, and this time gave her a gown of pure white, and laid a golden gem around her neck before seeing her off. Things proceeded nearly identically at the palace as well, with Rue spotting Ahiru and the knight together once more, and her own company immediately sought by the prince.

But here fear drove her to make a decision that seemed, at first, to be a terrible mistake. Unable to forget the words of Lilie and the wicked stepfather, Rue convinced the prince that they should take a break from dancing to enjoy some fresh air in the palace gardens, feeling that it would be easier to avoid potential disaster if they could not be found within the ballroom. However, this prevented her from hearing the quieter chimes of the clock as it reached the quarter hour to midnight, and only when the louder palace bells began to toll the hour did she realize her error. Consumed by panic, she began to run from the palace in haste, and the prince pursued her this time, hurt and confused by why she should flee his side every night. Her heart was heavy and her eyes filled with tears at the sound of his impassioned pleas, yet Rue knew she could not afford to stay and explain all to him, and ran all the faster. Alas, however! her foot became caught in some mud as she fled the garden, and as she could not pull it free she had no choice but to unbuckle the beautiful glass slipper her godmother had given her and leave it behind, and run with one bare foot the rest of the way. She had only just reached where her coach was hidden when the clock struck the final toll, and all returned to how it had been, save for the other slipper upon her foot. Rue was forced then to walk home alone, carrying the lone slipper in her hand, and she hid it in a pocket in her dress before curling up before the hearth and weeping herself to sleep.

It would be some days yet before she or anyone else in the household heard anything from the palace. The prince was resolute that none should be his bride but the girl who had left the slipper behind in the garden, and so a search was undertaken to determine the maker of the extraordinary shoe, that her identity could thus be traced. When none was found in the country, it was assumed that she must have been of foreign birth, and so the borders were closed while emissaries were sent to the neighboring nations to question their cobblers. When no results were produced, it was then decided that a search for the owner of the shoe must be enacted, and the closing of the borders meant that the mysterious girl must still be somewhere nearby. With that goal in mind, the prince took with him into the city a trusted company, and began to visit each household with the edict that every young lady there must try on the shoe and see if it fit.

Thus it was that he came eventually to the home of Rue and her family, and the stepfather enthusiastically brought forward Lilie and Ahiru to see if the slipper fit them. Lilie went first, but her heel was too large to fit into the shoe. The stepfather had it in mind to instruct her to cut off part of her heel and try again should Ahiru fail as well, and indeed Ahiru's foot was too small, but before such a cruel order could be set down, Rue entered the room and distracted the attention of all. "Please wait, your highness," she said, blushing as she addressed the prince. "I too am a lady of this household and of the correct age… may I try on the shoe as well?"

Hearing this, the stepfather became incensed at her audacity, and tried to prevent it from happening, declaring it unseemly for an ugly, slovenly servant girl to even think about trying on such finery, but here the Prince sternly rebuked him. "Sir, you would do well to quiet yourself and allow her to try on the slipper. My edict is that every young lady in the country do so, and I do not intend to prevent anyone who is eligible to try from putting it on. Therefore, she shall be allowed to have her turn."

The stepfather was angered by this but did not dare argue, and watched in fuming silence as Rue seated herself and took the proffered slipper. That it fit her perfectly drew many gasps from those in the room, but even more were heard when she then produced the other shoe from the folds of her dress. "My prince, I have here the missing mate of this shoe, and thus confess to you that it was I with whom you danced those three nights. I regret not being able to tell you before now of my true identity, but now you can learn who I truly am: a lady of noble birth, made to toil in her own home as a servant by a stepfather who despises her. Will you still take me to wife, knowing this?"

The Prince confirmed that he would, saying that even if she were a true servant it would not change the feelings that had developed in his heart for her, and that if she truly wished it as well they should be wed and begin their lives together. Rue had scarcely agreed to it when a great screech of fury was heard, and she turned to see the stepfather flying at her in rage, intent upon killing her for her deception and perceived treachery. Here again, however, the Prince stepped up to Rue's defense, pulling her behind him and ordering his knights to restrain the stepfather. For his actions he was then taken away to the palace dungeons, sentenced to live there evermore until the end of his days.

Lilie knew not that she had been spared a terrible and painful order from her father, but nevertheless her immediate concerns as she watched him be carted away were not for his wellbeing so much as her own, wishing to know if _she_ would be imprisoned too and what would happen to her. The Prince was taken aback by this, and after a moment assured her that she would keep whatever inheritance was hers and was free to live where she wished; she chose to reside with a relative of her late mother who had a manor in the countryside. No more is heard of her in this tale and it is not certain what became of her, but it was rumored that she eventually wed a local landowner of some wealth.

As for Ahiru, she did not get the chance to ask any questions of her own before Rue immediately turned to address the Prince on her behalf. "My prince, I know I am asking much by making a request of you so soon, even before we are married, but I beg of you: please allow Ahiru to come and live in the palace as well. She is my dear sister and friend, and my happiness requires her safety and presence near me. She is the only one of my family who has been kind to me these many years since my mother died, and I would see her rewarded for it."

Amidst Ahiru's protests that she really did not deserve any kind of reward, that she was not that special, the Prince smiled and agreed, stating that anyone who was dear to Rue was thus dear to him, and that he wished to make Rue happy in any way. And so both sisters received joyful endings, for Ahiru married the knight soon after moving into the palace, and Rue wed her prince, and all lived in peace and happiness for the rest of their lives.


End file.
